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Star Trek: The Motion Picture was the first Star Trekmovie, released in 1979. As well as the novelization there was a comic adaptation. It is the only Star trek novel directly credited to Gene Roddenberry. It was the first of hundreds of Star Trek releases by Pocket Books, although it was actually published while the license still belonged to Bantam Books; as a result, the next Pocket Books release did not occur until 1981, after the final Bantam publications.

Contents

The writer-producer who created Mr. Spock and all the other Star Trek characters—who invented the starshipEnterprise, who gave the show its looks, its ideals—puts it all together again here for his first Star Trek novel!

Their historic 5-year mission is over. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, all the crew have scattered to other jobs or other lives. Now, they are back together again on a fabulously refitted USS Enterprise as an incredibly destructive power threatens Earth and the human race.

James Tiberius Kirk introduces himself with an explanation of his name, noting that the custom of using a male-surname is rare among most humans, except those serving in Starfleet. Kirk characterizes Starfleet as a conservative, individualistic group where old customs "die hard." This aspect is often criticized as "primitive" by modern critics calling themselves New Humans, who tend to bury their identities into group consciousness. While Kirk acknowledges this may be more evolved, it makes for poor space travelers as shown by Starfleet's early history.

Kirk's Academy class was allegedly composed of those possessing more limited "intellectual agility" than previous classes. The reminiscent admiral finds this ironic considering the larger-than-life public treatment he has received upon the conclusion of his five-year mission. However, such treatment makes him uncomfortable as 94 of his crew died under his command.

The following chronicle is an attempt to accurately relay Kirk's actions and experiences during the Enterprise's encounter with Vejur.

The author notes his surprise at being chosen by Admiral Kirk to write his story as he was responsible for many of the chronicles criticized by the admiral as inaccurate. The following story has been proofread and corrected by everyone involved.

The author closes by noting that the adventures of the Enterprise reflect the author's personal views about Earth and humanity.

In San Francisco, Kirk arrives at the Starfleet Headquarters air tram station. He meets CommanderSonak there and confirms his recommendation that Sonak be assigned as science officer. He then informs Sonak of the accelerated launch schedule and that he intends to meet him aboard the Enterprise in an hour.

In engineering, Decker is supervising the final phase of readiness for the new ship. Kirk meets him and informs him that Decker will be his executive officer on the mission. Angered, Decker states that Kirk doesn't know the new ship a fraction as well as he does. Nonplussed, Kirk informs him that is the main reason Decker is staying aboard. Their conversation is cut short by an alarm from the transporter room. Sonak and Lori Ciana are beaming aboard, but the transportersensors fail in mid-transport, killing them.

Kirk calls a briefing of all crewmembers on the ship's massive new recreation deck. While he addresses the crew, the ship receives an update from Station Epsilon IX. CommanderBranch reports that the cloud is passing close to his space station, when suddenly the cloud seems to react to the station's sensors. The facility is destroyed quickly while the horrified Enterprise crew looks on.

The final crewmembers come aboard, including LieutenantIlia, the ship's new Deltannavigator. Ilia is surprised to see an old acquaintance, Will Decker, at a lowered rank as executive officer. Kirk confirms with Ilia that her oath of celibacy is in effect. The final crew replacements come aboard, save the chief medical officer, who is wary of the transporter. Kirk orders him beamed aboard, and informs Leonard McCoy that he is needed, as an explanation for the doctor's reserve activation.

The Enterprise clears her drydock, even as top officers worry about the efficacy of the ship's new, untested warp drive. Seeing the look of fulfillment on Kirk's face, Decker realizes that he feels less bitter than he had expected. Earth rapidly recedes from view behind the ship.

In order to intercept the intruder at the earliest possible time, we must now risk engaging warp drive while still within the solar system.

The Enterprise sets out to attain warp speed, but is quickly caught up in the wormhole effect, caused by a drive imbalance. The vortex in space drags the Enterprise into it, along with a giant asteroid, which threatens to collide with the ship.

Kirk quickly orders phasers to be targeted on the asteroid, but Decker countermands the order, and has Chekov prepare a photon torpedo instead. After a tense moment, the torpedo fires and destroys the asteroid, just as the wormhole effect diminishes and releases its hold on the ship.

Furious, Kirk demands to know why Decker countermanded his order. Decker states that, with the warp engines in an imbalance failure, there would be no phaser functions, as the two systems were interconnected power sources. Kirk, unaware of this modification, grudgingly apologizes for the mistake and asks Decker to help him through the design difficulties. Ilia and Decker confer briefly about their separation and hardships of reacquaintance in the crisis situation.

The Enterprise receives a signal from the shuttlecraft Surak, which separates from a warp sled to deliver a passenger. Spock has arrived to help.

On the bridge, Decker yields his seat at the science station to Spock, who offers his services as science officer. Spock seems totally emotionless and is unresponsive to his old friends' delight at seeing him again. As he prepares to go to Engineering to work on the ship's engine problems, McCoy and Chapel step out of the turbolift. Chapel grins inanely as she tries to greet Spock, but he ignores both of them and leaves the bridge.

After an hour of computer work in Engineering, Spock proposes an intermix formula which proves almost perfect. Scotty is exasperated by Spock's ignoring him, but wishes Spock had become an engineer, since no one expects engineers to have pleasant demeanors. Spock finds an unoccupied alcove for meditation in the front section of the ship's engineering hull. Gazing out at the stars, he again feels the Intruder touch his mind, and senses a strange puzzlement and desperation from it.

The Enterprise successfully goes to warp. In the officers' lounge, Spock tells Kirk and McCoy about his mental contacts with the Intruder. When he leaves, McCoy expresses the concern that the Intruder might somehow turn Spock against his friends. On the bridge, Kirk reviews the status of the ship's departments. Learning that Decker and Scotty were already working on a phaser bypass system, he gives permission for Decker to finish assembling and testing it.

As the Enterprise approaches the Intruder cloud, Kirk orders all sensor scans ceased. The ship goes to red alert. The Intruder scans the Enterprise, but does not respond to Uhura's friendship messages. Spock estimates that a twelfth-power energy field is emanating from an object at the cloud's center. A bolt of green energy emerges from the cloud, headed for the Enterprise.

The bolt strikes Enterprise with a terrifying noise. As it ravages the ship's forcefields, power reserves drop below fifty percent. In Engineering, Scotty sees a flicker of green on a hull monitor as the energy forces its way into the ship along circuit paths. Assistant Engineer Kugel screams as he is hit by a green bolt from an auxiliary console. Another bolt reaches the bridge and injures Chekov. Chapel comes to his aid; Ilia also helps, using her Deltan abilities to relieve his pain. Spock senses that the Intruder is puzzled because it has communicated with Enterprise and received no response; he finds the message, which lasted only a millisecond, in the computer records. Spock transmits the standard friendship signal again at the speed the Intruder used. Meanwhile, another bolt of green energy has been fired from the cloud, but when Enterprise transmits the message the energy bolt fades away.

Enterprise enters the cloud. Inside is a gigantic vessel, seventy-eight kilometers long. Kirk decides to risk sensors. As Spock begins scanning the vessel's surface a blindingly bright plasma-energy probe appears on the bridge. It extends tendrils of plasma which plug into various bridge consoles. Two security guards enter; the probe unleashes a miniature green bolt at one of them, Security Officer Phillips, who vanishes. When the probe plugs itself into the science console, the only one which connects to the main computer, Spock smashes the console with his hands. As a tendril reaches out for Spock, Ilia steps between him and the probe, which vanishes with her.

Decker urgently orders Uhura to transmit Deltan life support requirements to the Intruder. DiFalco, the relief navigator, arrives on the bridge and takes over Ilia's console. An opening appears at the aft end of the vessel, and Enterprise is pulled through into the interior by a tractor beam. An intruder alert sounds, and Chekov's console shows an intense but rapidly cooling heat source in Ilia's officer quarters.

The heat was in Ilia's cabin. Kirk, Spock and two security guards find what seems to be Ilia standing naked in her sonic shower. There is a glowing light on her throat. Kirk replicates a robe onto her body. "Ilia" asks if he is "the Kirk unit", and says she has been programmed by Vejur to investigate "the carbon-based units infesting U.S.S. Enterprise." McCoy arrives and confirms with his tricorder that "Ilia" is a mechanism. Spock suggests that "she" may be the plasma-energy probe. The probe says that Ilia "no longer functions" and that it has been given her form. It declares that Vejur is traveling to Earth to find the Creator and join with Him. In sickbay, Decker enters as McCoy and Chapel examine the Ilia-probe; it addresses him as "Decker", not "Decker-unit". Spock speculates that the probe may contain Ilia's memory patterns. Kirk urges Decker to form an emotional connection with the probe.

For the third time, a message sphere launched by Enterprise to send information to Starfleet is destroyed by crystalline sheets of energy. Spock enters an airlock and nerve-pinches the technician on duty. Kirk and McCoy watch on a monitor as Decker shows the Ilia-probe the images of earlier Enterprises on the rec deck. The probe then scores a perfect "blindfind" at vitronic-B, a game Ilia enjoyed, which suggests it has empathic abilities. It tells Decker that Vejur will reduce the carbon units aboard Enterprise to data patterns once it finishes examining them. Decker suggests that he help the probe access Ilia's memories in order to understand the carbon units' functions.

Uhura picks up a faint Starfleet transmission reporting Enterprise as probably destroyed. Kirk orders her to boost their location beacon. In Ilia's cabin, Chapel and McCoy find a Deltan loveband which Decker had given Ilia. When Decker and the probe enter, Chapel hands the band to the probe, which places it on its head. Decker asks if Ilia remembers his giving it to her, and the probe seems to respond. McCoy and Chapel leave as Decker and the probe begin caressing each other.

Wearing a space suit, Spock leaves Enterprise, using a jetpack to maneuver toward an opening farther into the vessel. He records log entries to be transmitted back to the ship. Spock enters a hexagonal crystal tunnel and jettisons the jetpack. He sees visions of stars, of the destroyed Klingon ship, the vanished security guard, and of a planet of living machines which once helped Vejur. Coming into physical contact with one of the crystals, he realizes that the Intruder is not a vessel; it is Vejur, a vast living machine.

Vejur realizes the carbon unit in its memory banks is the Spock-unit, whose thoughts are more orderly than those of other carbon units, and does not destroy him. Vejur has traveled from the far side of the galaxy. Early in its journey it was attacked by a life form four times the size of Enterprise, after which it began to learn to defend itself. It patterned the planet from which its attacker came, but did not notice the carbon units on that world until they had ceased functioning. Vejur was startled by Enterprise's claim that it came from the Creator's planet, and is concerned to learn that billions of carbon units infest that planet. Vejur is troubled: it will have no further purpose once it reaches the Creator's planet and delivers the information it has collected on its journey.

Kirk follows Spock outside, only to hear from Decker that the probe has told him Spock is being sent back, unconscious. In sickbay, as McCoy and Chapel try to revive Spock, Decker tells Kirk how Vejur reasserted control of the probe when he had almost established a rapport with it. Spock awakens, laughing. Grasping Kirk's hand, he tells him their feeling of friendship is beyond Vejur's comprehension. The great machine has vast knowledge, but no emotions or needs to give its knowledge meaning. Uhura reports that Vejur's powerfield cloud is dissipating, and Sulu adds that they are only seven minutes from Earth. Kirk tells McCoy and Chapel he needs Spock on the bridge.

As Vejur enters Earth orbit, Decker remembers Ilia's consciousness entering his mind during his lovemaking with the probe. He sensed Ilia's horror at being trapped in a mechanical form, but Vejur reasserted control, and Ilia slipped away. Vejur transmits a binary signal to the Creator on Earth, but there is no response. Vejur launches masses of green plasma-energy which will encircle the Earth. The probe says they will remove the "carbon-unit infestation" which is interfering with the Creator. McCoy realizes that Vejur thinks its Creator is a machine. Kirk tells the probe the humans know why the Creator does not answer. When it demands the information, Kirk takes Spock's suggestion to treat it like a petulant child and clears the bridge. The probe becomes calmer. Spock tells Kirk that Vejur has a central brain complex. Kirk says the information must be given to Vejur directly, not through a probe. Another opening appears within Vejur; Enterprise moves forward through it. Kirk orders Scotty to prepare for self-destruct.

Enterprise comes to a stop near the nucleus of Vejur's brain. Kirk nearly orders Scotty to initiate self-destruct prematurely, but does not do so when the probe says the brain nucleus is "Vejur's beginning". The probe leads Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Decker out onto the saucer hull, where a gravity-oxygen envelope is provided for them. Rectangles of light tumble toward Enterprise and become a solid pathway from the front of the saucer to the brain nucleus, which resembles an amphitheater; at its center is a 20th century space probe from Earth.

The spacecraft is Voyager Six, the first Earth probe to enter a time continuum. At Decker's suggestion, Kirk asks Uhura to transmit the NASA code signal ordering Voyager to send its collected data. Taking literally Kirk's demand that the probe stop interfering, Vejur releases control of it, and its personality briefly becomes Ilia's; then Vejur reasserts control. Decker transmits the NASA signal through Spock's tricorder, but Voyager's transceiver antenna connection burns out, preventing Vejur from receiving the signal. Ilia's consciousness again returns. Spock realizes Vejur burned out the connection deliberately: it plans to make the Creator deliver the signal in person. Decker places the tricorder in contact with the transceiver, declaring that, just as Kirk wanted Enterprise, he wants to become part of Vejur. The amphitheater begins to glow with brilliant colors, as do the bodies of Decker and the Ilia-probe, which expand and merge with Vejur. Kirk, Spock and McCoy barely make it back to the ship before Vejur disappears from around them, ascending to a higher dimension. Starfleet requests a status report; Kirk lists Phillips, Ilia and Decker as missing, but refuses to beam down for debriefing. Spock says he does not need to return to Vulcan. Kirk orders a heading "Out there. Thataway."

"Vejur" is spelled thus from within the text of Chapter Twenty of Gene Roddenberry's novelization (starting on page 179 of the original Pocket Books' published paperback edition) onwards until Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Decker and "Ilia" personally encounter the Voyager VI relic spaceprobe, as is also done on the Columbia Records-released LP disc soundtrack of Jerry Goldsmith's score for STMP, in regards to the "Vejur Flyover" instrumental work — with the "V'Ger" spelling appearing in most other sources.

The character referred to in the novel as Assistant Engineer Quarton is called Chief Ross in the Star Trek: The Motion Picture script, and Teresa Ross in TOSnovel: Ex Machina. Janet Quarton, the character's namesake, was a UK Star Trek fan and friend of Roddenberry.

A limited edition, slip-cased hardcover edition was available in the USA. This edition was dedicated to Majel Barrett.

The Futura mass market paperback editions, published in the UK and Australia, had some text slightly revised with additional material, to better explain how Vice Admiral Lori Ciana came to be transporting aboard during the accident which killed both her and Commander Sonak. These editions also contained numerous, captioned, color plates of publicity stills from the movie.

The first French language translation incorrectly attributed this book to Alan Dean Foster.

Because of changing standards in the comic industry, as well as a move to high-profile American company Marvel, this was the first Star Trek comic to feature complete credits for writer, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer and editor. Previous Gold Key Comics were created as collaborations between overseas artists studios (with multiple artists contributing) and American editors. These earlier comics did not feature extensive credits, usually only citing artist and writer, if any at all.

The comic presents a fairly straightforward adaptation of the film, with many panels based on stills taken during the production of the film. The story and narrative are cut in places to account for the smaller page space of a comic book.

As the scenes are based on actual film images, many of the characters are close matches to the film's appearance, down to the Andorian, Saurian and Zaranite officers seen in the recreation deck scene.